What makes AR such a polarizing player??

[Daddyneedsnack]

If the colts fan dumpster fire on social media and forums like these or just in our cooler talk conversations in real life are any indication, AR is an extremely polarizing player. Seems like we have people that can never see any wrong in AR, he’s still going to lead us to a 10-7 record, misremember how the offense fared (or are just delusional) or blame it all on Steichen, and predicted ROY, best player in that class, etc. There are also people that have never given him a chance. People that will want to see him fail, who won’t acknowledge the upside we have already seen, and don’t appreciate his character which I think is one of his best traits. He’s an extremely good person and desperately wants to win (from an outside perspective……).

 

why does it seem like regardless of what side of the fence you are on, it seem like we can’t take a deep breath and give an honest opinion about what see, but yet still be optimistic?

 

I think part of it is just fandom for your team. Truly believing the best will happen. Wanting the new face of your franchise to be great. Which we all love the colts and who could blame anyone for that. 
 

I think part of it is his athletic traits. With a rocket launcher arm unlimited strength and speed. Anthony Richardson is the perfect madden player and would be everybody’s ideal created player. It’s tough to imagine how somebody with unlimited ability could be failing. And on the flipside, some people won’t allow him to make any mistakes because of that ability.
 

before I go into this next part, I want to make clear that if you aren’t enough of an adult to handle this conversation, then refrain from commenting. However, I  do also think there’s a racial component in this on both sides. I think for the longest time there have been stereotypes regarding the qb position and although many of the best qbs in the league are African American, there are lots of people that only view AR through this lens whether you love him or hate him. Sometimes I feel he gets this type of scrutiny and praise more than anyone else in the league other than Lamar or Mike Vick.

 

so what makes AR so polarizing to you and do you think that will ever change?

[LJpalmbeacher2]

What makes him so polarizing to so me imo is he's the most athletic QB to come to the league ever...... even more than the Great Bert Jones. Of course back then players from all positions were a bit smaller, slower than today's athletes. Jones was a standout back then plus add his mental awareness and his accuracy which made him the best by far in his day.

 

Today's football AR is the most athletic at his size. I compare him to Josh Allen with a higher ceiling if he can improve his mental part of the game and improve his throwing accuracy. 

 

That's what I think makes him so polarizing. A QB that has the potential ceiling of surpassing a Josh Allen or turn out to be a Bust if he can't harness the non-athletic part of being a NFL QB. 

 

I think it will be Fun watching to find out.

 

[Daddyneedsnack]

5 minutes ago, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

What makes him so polarizing to so me imo is he's the most athletic QB to come to the league ever...... even more than the Great Bert Jones. Of course back then players from all positions were a bit smaller, slower than today's athletes. Jones was a standout back then plus add his mental awareness and his accuracy which made him the best by far in his day.

 

Today's football AR is the most athletic at his size. I compare him to Josh Allen with a higher ceiling if he can improve his mental part of the game and improve his throwing accuracy. 

 

That's what I think makes him so polarizing. A QB that has the potential ceiling of surpassing a Josh Allen or turn out to be a Bust if he can't harness the non-athletic part of being a NFL QB. 

 

I think it will be Fun watching to find out.

 

 

And you aren’t exaggerating either. Truly a one of a kind potential player. Definitely the main factor in this.

 

the part no one can agree on is how far away he is from realizing that potential. 
 

and here is to hoping this organization provides the right environment to give him the best chance to reach that potential. I’m certainly gonna be watching every step of the way.

[NFLfan]

40 minutes ago, Daddyneedsnack said:

so what makes AR so polarizing to you and do you think that will ever change?

 

That can change if he wins.

[Daddyneedsnack]

4 minutes ago, NFLfan said:

 

That can change if he wins.

true that, no one cares about any of the external factors when the results are there. Lamar is a good measuring stick for a generational athlete at Qb that had questions. Even the haters have quieted down on him to an extent as he inches closer to a HOF career

[jemack]

It'll end when AR stops making mistakes. We're spoiled for having Manning, Luck, and to a certain extent Rivers. 

We'd come to expect a top 4 pick to come in and make an impact in his 2nd year.

And when it doesn't happen you get different opinions.

I for one wasn't impressed with his collegiate season. I see the same mistakes he made in college. The biggest being sometimes he'll try and will a completion instead of throwing it away. This is often off his back foot and doesn't get to the receiver as it should.

Since Manning, I'm not a "fan" of any one player. I just want them to succeed as a team and that includes the success of AR.

 

[BlackTiger]

Some people believe in his potential and others dont see it yet.  Its as simple as that

 

Hes really athletic but hes also played pretty bad.   Bad enough for some to question if they want to see another year of him.  I want to see him get another chance but i wouldnt go into next year saying Anthony is the only thing that matters again

[DougDew]

I don't see AR as a polarizing player at all.  I think everybody wants him to succeed.

 

Its not the player.  Its the fans.  What caused the forum to blow up was the fans' reaction to the benching.  I think the hero image they has was popped, and were angry at the Colts for popping it.

 

As I figured, AR has returned to the starting line up after a few games.

 

It looks a bit foolish to get so upset when a raw young QB gets justifiably benched 2 or 3 games because he was playing at an embarrassingly low level...thereby also embarrassing the Colts uniform.  Why get so angry about it?

[compuls1v3]

1 hour ago, Daddyneedsnack said:

If the colts fan dumpster fire on social media and forums like these or just in our cooler talk conversations in real life are any indication, AR is an extremely polarizing player. Seems like we have people that can never see any wrong in AR, he’s still going to lead us to a 10-7 record, misremember how the offense fared (or are just delusional) or blame it all on Steichen, and predicted ROY, best player in that class, etc. There are also people that have never given him a chance. People that will want to see him fail, who won’t acknowledge the upside we have already seen, and don’t appreciate his character which I think is one of his best traits. He’s an extremely good person and desperately wants to win (from an outside perspective……).

 

why does it seem like regardless of what side of the fence you are on, it seem like we can’t take a deep breath and give an honest opinion about what see, but yet still be optimistic?

 

I think part of it is just fandom for your team. Truly believing the best will happen. Wanting the new face of your franchise to be great. Which we all love the colts and who could blame anyone for that. 
 

I think part of it is his athletic traits. With a rocket launcher arm unlimited strength and speed. Anthony Richardson is the perfect madden player and would be everybody’s ideal created player. It’s tough to imagine how somebody with unlimited ability could be failing. And on the flipside, some people won’t allow him to make any mistakes because of that ability.
 

before I go into this next part, I want to make clear that if you aren’t enough of an adult to handle this conversation, then refrain from commenting. However, I  do also think there’s a racial component in this on both sides. I think for the longest time there have been stereotypes regarding the qb position and although many of the best qbs in the league are African American, there are lots of people that only view AR through this lens whether you love him or hate him. Sometimes I feel he gets this type of scrutiny and praise more than anyone else in the league other than Lamar or Mike Vick.

 

so what makes AR so polarizing to you and do you think that will ever change?

Here's what so polarizing for me.  I keep waffling on this position, but I really think he could have used a year or 2 riding the pine, learning how to be the man.  The problem is he was picked number 4.  The expectation when that happens is that should play day one.  The unpopular opinion would be to sit him.  But that ship has sailed, they've already thrown him into the fire.  If you watch the film, he WAS making progress, but it's really no enough.  It's not fast enough progress.  I hope the real difference is seen next year, when he's had a full offseason, UN-injured, to work on his craft.  If he can actually start making let's say 55% of his throws, and start leading receivers a little bit more, then we are in for something special.  If not, he'll just be the most athletic QB ever drafted....that couldn't cut it.  I'm hoping for the former, because #1 I'm a Colts fan, and I want the Colts to succeed.  #2   I'm an optimist, and I yearn for something better than being the retirement home for old QBs.

[JColts72]

Because plenty of fans bought the company line that he was going to be Newton and Hurts all in one. More like Russell-Griffith. Colts scouts, GM, HC,Jim were all excited to take a chance on the unknown since he was not good in college. Back to the drawing board again soon enough.

[Solid84]

1 hour ago, DougDew said:

I don't see AR as a polarizing player at all.  I think everybody wants him to succeed.

 

Its not the player.  Its the fans.  What caused the forum to blow up was the fans' reaction to the benching.  I think the hero image they has was popped, and were angry at the Colts for popping it.

 

As I figured, AR has returned to the starting line up after a few games.

 

It looks a bit foolish to get so upset when a raw young QB gets justifiably benched 2 or 3 games because he was playing at an embarrassingly low level...thereby also embarrassing the Colts uniform.  Why get so angry about it?

It’s hilarious you still think it was because of performance. But then you are the board contrarian. 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

Most people on here can’t seem to grasp just because he is young and makes mistakes that doesn’t mean his career is over. There aren’t many in here who can acknowledge his struggles and be optimistic for him and the future. Most on here try to say he will never be good. Like they have a crystal ball.

[DougDew]

1 hour ago, Solid84 said:

It’s hilarious you still think it was because of performance. But then you are the board contrarian. 

 

Are you fabricating a narrative about why he was benched in order to justify the board's Shane Bashing?  The benching was for performance.  Period. A 44% completion percentage on field, or performance with his off the field duties that contributed to his 44% completion rate.   What else could it be besides performance?  He hasn't gotten arrested for anything. 

 

When all of the craziness calling for heads to roll because the FO popped the fans hero bubble they fabricated around AR, I said just wait, he'll probably be named starter again. 

When the board crowned Ballard a genius after his first draft.  I said...nah... doesn't look that way to me.

When the board got all sloppy bout the impact a college pancaking LG would have, I said nah.

When the board was busting on Rivers, I said he wasn't that bad.

When the board was raving about Nyheim Hines, I said I couldn't figure why he was on the roster

When the board didn't care about the WR room because we had an all pro LG, I said we are destined to be a 500 team

When the board was raving about JT 3 years ago, I said he was limited because he never bounces anything to the outside.

 

Its seems like a good thing to be contrarian on this board.

[LJpalmbeacher2]

1 hour ago, DougDew said:

I don't see AR as a polarizing player at all.  I think everybody wants him to succeed.

 

Its not the player.  Its the fans.  What caused the forum to blow up was the fans' reaction to the benching.  I think the hero image they has was popped, and were angry at the Colts for popping it.

 

As I figured, AR has returned to the starting line up after a few games.

 

It looks a bit foolish to get so upset when a raw young QB gets justifiably benched 2 or 3 games because he was playing at an embarrassingly low level...thereby also embarrassing the Colts uniform.  Why get so angry about it?

 

I think AR was polarizing before he was even Drafted. The NFl network and other talking heads were all impressed by his metrics at the combine and how far he could throw. 

There was film before the draft on how much Ballard and scouts thought of him. And how relieved they were when he was still available for them at #4. If the Colts didn't draft him I'm pretty certain the Seahawks would have at #5. 

For a player with such  limited college experience to stir so much interest AND.actually be drafted that high shows how many people were and still are so interested to see him play. 

Just my opinion

[DougDew]

26 minutes ago, LJpalmbeacher2 said:

 

I think AR was polarizing before he was even Drafted. The NFl network and other talking heads were all impressed by his metrics at the combine and how far he could throw. 

There was film before the draft on how much Ballard and scouts thought of him. And how relieved they were when he was still available for them at #4. If the Colts didn't draft him I'm pretty certain the Seahawks would have at #5. 

For a player with such  limited college experience to stir so much interest AND.actually be drafted that high shows how many people were and still are so interested to see him play. 

Just my opinion

I don't know what people expect AR to be.  Why is he more interesting than anybody else?  He needs to master the NFL passing game....master it....if we want to be perennial contenders under his tenure.  We don't seem to want to have a BAL defense, so AR has to master the passing game just like any other QB that goes beyond the Wildcard level in the playoffs.  

 

Mastering doesn't mean 50 yard bombs or 50 yard runs.  Those are aberrations in the NFL.  Mastering means performing the boring plays (that account for about 85% of the offensive plays), correctly 97% of the time.  When AR finally succeeds, its because he'll look like every other boring NFL QB and probably not like the three unicorns that are actually interesting...a beast like Allen, a runner like Lamar, or an improvisor like Mahomes.  He'll likely be none of those.

 

I'm rooting for him to learn how to be an NFL QB so he can be as uninteresting and boring as all of the other winning QBs.

 

 

[crazycolt1]

Being a great athlete does not necessarily mean he will become a franchise QB.

[compuls1v3]

35 minutes ago, DougDew said:

 

Are you fabricating a narrative about why he was benched in order to justify the board's Shane Bashing?  The benching was for performance.  Period. A 44% completion percentage on field, or performance with his off the field duties that contributed to his 44% completion rate.   What else could it be besides performance?  He hasn't gotten arrested for anything. 

 

When all of the craziness calling for heads to roll because the FO popped the fans hero bubble they fabricated around AR, I said just wait, he'll probably be named starter again. 

When the board crowned Ballard a genius after his first draft.  I said...nah... doesn't look that way to me.

When the board got all sloppy bout the impact a college pancaking LG would have, I said nah.

When the board was busting on Rivers, I said he wasn't that bad.

When the board was raving about Nyheim Hines, I said I couldn't figure why he was on the roster

When the board didn't care about the WR room because we had an all pro LG, I said we are destined to be a 500 team

When the board was raving about JT 3 years ago, I said he was limited because he never bounces anything to the outside.

 

Its seems like a good thing to be contrarian on this board.

To be honest Doug, it sounds like you are trying to say you are right and everyone is wrong.  I never remember being satisfied with no wide outs, but I'm happy with that position now.  And I'm happy Ballard took a swing at QB.....finally.  Here's to hoping it pans out.

[richard pallo]

2 hours ago, DougDew said:

I don't see AR as a polarizing player at all.  I think everybody wants him to succeed.

 

Its not the player.  Its the fans.  What caused the forum to blow up was the fans' reaction to the benching.  I think the hero image they has was popped, and were angry at the Colts for popping it.

 

As I figured, AR has returned to the starting line up after a few games.

 

It looks a bit foolish to get so upset when a raw young QB gets justifiably benched 2 or 3 games because he was playing at an embarrassingly low level...thereby also embarrassing the Colts uniform.  Why get so angry about it?

I agree it was the benching and tap out that irritated everyone.  His numbers were regressing but he was also getting the coaches and players miffed to say the least for all the reasons Shane mentioned today.  Which we knew nothing about.  I think the tap out was what put them over the top and finalized the benching.  Shane now thinks he is putting forth the time and effort they were expecting all along.  That’s good to hear.  Hopefully we see improved performance for the remainder of the season.  No doubt we all want him to be that quarterback we are looking for.  Let’s see if he can get going.

[Down under wonder]

The problem with AR is that most people hoped he was the Man. We’ve had a QB transit lounge for so long that when we finally bit the bullet and drafted one with so many great attributes, we all got our hopes up. A season and a half later we’re still in the transit lounge not sure if we’re sitting pat next year or trading for another stop gap or worse, going back to the draft again. 
 

People are just frustrated because we thought we’d finally got out of the transit lounge when in reality, we just moved seats. 

[IinD]

People are just tired of the QB carousel so they're hoping he's the guy and we're finally done looking.

[Tsarquise]

He is really athletic has the potential to be great if he has great QB skills. 

 

On the other hand he is inexperienced and has shown nothing to suggest he will be great, thus people don't believe in him.

 

So people love him because of the potential his athleticism affords, and people hate him because he is inexperienced and currently posseses  little skill, and history shows he is unlikely to acquire the necessary skill to become great. 

 

It's really that simple. 

 

 

[Restinpeacesweetchloe]

[smittywerb]

I think AR is so polarizing because of what he’s been through as a QB and not knowing what he will become.  None of us know whether he will bust, be average, or become Lamar Jackson 2.0.  But what adds to all of that is the type of fandoms that AR has.  There’s three sides to following AR:

 

Side 1 | Blind Faith:  these are the people who think AR will become a cheat code.  They’re excited about what he brings to the team.  They believe everything negative that has happened to him is because of everything around him.  Most people on this side are not pro-Ballard.

 

Side 2 | Realists:  This is where I reside.  These people understand that AR is a project.  There will be some ups and downs.  We’ve seen enough to where we want to see more but we also understand there has to be some progress.  If AR regresses then we’re fine with moving on but if he shows progress then we’re ok.  To put it in simple terms, we’re along for the ride.  Even though AR doesn’t have the best support system, we also can admit that AR has to take blame for the mistakes he’s made.  
 

Side 3 | Blind Hate:  these people have seen enough and don’t want to see more.  They don’t want anything to do with AR.  Anything that has gone wrong with the team offensively, they blame AR.  
 

But here’s the catch, when you put all of this together…the fact is NONE of us know what AR is.  We don’t know if he’s good or bad because his situation is so unique.  So until his situation becomes more stable and consistent, he will continue to be polarizing.

[Solid84]

2 hours ago, DougDew said:

 

Are you fabricating a narrative about why he was benched in order to justify the board's Shane Bashing?  The benching was for performance.  Period. A 44% completion percentage on field, or performance with his off the field duties that contributed to his 44% completion rate.   What else could it be besides performance?  He hasn't gotten arrested for anything. 

 

When all of the craziness calling for heads to roll because the FO popped the fans hero bubble they fabricated around AR, I said just wait, he'll probably be named starter again. 

When the board crowned Ballard a genius after his first draft.  I said...nah... doesn't look that way to me.

When the board got all sloppy bout the impact a college pancaking LG would have, I said nah.

When the board was busting on Rivers, I said he wasn't that bad.

When the board was raving about Nyheim Hines, I said I couldn't figure why he was on the roster

When the board didn't care about the WR room because we had an all pro LG, I said we are destined to be a 500 team

When the board was raving about JT 3 years ago, I said he was limited because he never bounces anything to the outside.

 

Its seems like a good thing to be contrarian on this board.

He was not benched for performance reasons and would probably still be benched if Flacco hadn’t been terrible. I do believe you endorsed playing Flacco by the way, mr. Contrarian. 

 

I don’t believe anyone crowned Ballard for anything except having a great 2018 draft. Which he objectively did. 
 

Needing better WRs (at the time) does not mean we didn’t desperately need a better Oline. We did and got it. 
 

Rivers was the best thing to happen for the Colts at QB since Luck. What are you even babbing about man? He didn’t have the armstrength at the end, but that’s also about the only thing tou could put on him. 
 

I don’t remember the board ever “raving” about Hines. He had very few good games and wasn’t even particularly good as a pass catcher. He got traded and nobody was against that I believe. 
 

The board has cared about improving the WR for a LONG time? Stop making yourself out to be some lone voice of reason, lol. 
 

JT is good. Probably not as great as some want to make him out to be, but saying he’s anything less than good is just objectively wrong. 

[2006Coltsbestever]

He is polarizing because of his great size, great athleticism as in speed, and his ceiling keeps people interested. It also helps that he can throw a football 70 yards in the air. 

[Thunderbolt]

AR needs to develop more endurance thru hard work, more physical activity to increase his stamina so won't tire easily. His size is enormous to keep him going non-stop on the field, so he really need some workout to maintain his energy level during the game.

[Dark Superman]

9 hours ago, Daddyneedsnack said:

If the colts fan dumpster fire on social media and forums like these or just in our cooler talk conversations in real life are any indication, AR is an extremely polarizing player. Seems like we have people that can never see any wrong in AR, he’s still going to lead us to a 10-7 record, misremember how the offense fared (or are just delusional) or blame it all on Steichen, and predicted ROY, best player in that class, etc. There are also people that have never given him a chance. People that will want to see him fail, who won’t acknowledge the upside we have already seen, and don’t appreciate his character which I think is one of his best traits. He’s an extremely good person and desperately wants to win (from an outside perspective……).

 

why does it seem like regardless of what side of the fence you are on, it seem like we can’t take a deep breath and give an honest opinion about what see, but yet still be optimistic?

 

I think part of it is just fandom for your team. Truly believing the best will happen. Wanting the new face of your franchise to be great. Which we all love the colts and who could blame anyone for that. 
 

I think part of it is his athletic traits. With a rocket launcher arm unlimited strength and speed. Anthony Richardson is the perfect madden player and would be everybody’s ideal created player. It’s tough to imagine how somebody with unlimited ability could be failing. And on the flipside, some people won’t allow him to make any mistakes because of that ability.
 

before I go into this next part, I want to make clear that if you aren’t enough of an adult to handle this conversation, then refrain from commenting. However, I  do also think there’s a racial component in this on both sides. I think for the longest time there have been stereotypes regarding the qb position and although many of the best qbs in the league are African American, there are lots of people that only view AR through this lens whether you love him or hate him. Sometimes I feel he gets this type of scrutiny and praise more than anyone else in the league other than Lamar or Mike Vick.

 

so what makes AR so polarizing to you and do you think that will ever change?

The upside and potential are what make him a polarizing player which is the entire reason the Colts took a shot at him at #4 in the 2023 NFL Draft. Everyone knew coming into last season he needed to play as much as possible since he was drafted at the age of 20, with very little college experience. Being patient and going through the ups and downs with AR5 through his first two seasons was going to be a hard pill to swallow but everyone in the Colts building knew this and even mentioned how they needed to be patient while allowing AR5 to go through the growing pains. He's either your future or you're drafting another QB in the first round in 2026. But he needs to play to figure out what they have him in.

Playing a 40-year-old Joe Flacco who is on the verge of retirement does nothing for the future of this team. This isn't a reliable veteran QB away from competing for a playoff spot, let along the division title. Starting AR5 is the ONLY logical thing that makes sense.

 

 

[stitches]

It's the vast space between what he is now and what he can be. 

 

The optimists see what he can be in the future and dream about having that QB on their roster.

 

The pesimists see what he is now and have hard time imagining him ever getting close to what the optimists imagine he can be. 

[Dingus McGirt]

Colts fans want Anthony Richardson to succeed - simply because that is good for the team, its fans and football, in general.

 

It's 2024.